The woman says she first came in contact with Shahnawaz in 2020-21, when she was studying in Class 11.
On January 1, 2021, she alleges, Shahnawaz approached her while she was outside her house. She says he forcibly applied sindoor to the parting of her hair and photographed the incident.
According to her allegation, that photograph later became a tool to control and threaten her.
She says Shahnawaz threatened to make the photograph public and used it to blackmail and intimidate her. She has alleged that the threats continued and that she was sexually exploited by him on multiple occasions.
The woman has also alleged that Shahnawaz subjected her to caste-based abuse during this period.
Pressure to recite ‘kalma’ and convert
The woman further alleges that Shahnawaz pressured her to leave Hindu dharma and recite ‘kalma’.
When she refused, she says, the threats continued and the photograph was repeatedly used to put pressure on her.
She has also alleged that the matter eventually extended to her family, with pressure being placed on them over her refusal to convert.
Two men reached her house
The woman has also named two associates of Shahnawaz, identified as Siraj and Shahrukh.
She alleges that the two men came to her house after her family objected to Shahnawaz’s actions. She says they abused and threatened her family.
The woman further alleges that they told her family that a cleric would be brought to facilitate her conversion. She has alleged that her family was threatened with serious consequences if she refused to convert.
The woman approached Malihabad police and submitted her complaint on September 22, more than five years after the alleged incident involving the forced application of sindoor.
Police are also examining differing claims made by the woman’s mother. Separate reporting has said the police have begun looking into the allegations.
Mathura controversy adds to debate over alleged conversion cases
Another controversy has emerged in Mathura, where a young Hindu woman’s alleged elopement with Mustaq Khan has led to tension in Mukhrai village.
According to the woman’s family, Mustaq Khan took her from neighbouring Basonti village on September 18. Police have registered a case under provisions including the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act and are searching for the accused and the woman.
The incident has triggered protests, with villagers and Hindu organisations demanding Mustaq Khan’s arrest. Police have deployed additional personnel in Mukhrai amid the tension.
The Mathura case has drawn further attention because villagers have also raised allegations involving Mustaq Khan’s family. His elder brother Salman Khan has been accused of living separately from his wife and staying with another woman for nearly a year.
These allegations have added to tensions in the village. Police are examining the complaints and the circumstances surrounding the cases.
